Hat Trick: Shopping For Royal Ascot

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LOOKING at my summer social calendar, the hat-friendly occasions are mounting higher than princess Beatrice's treble-cleft Philip Treacy. Five weddings - from country Wiltshire to social Vienna, and now this week Royal Ascot, where the arcane codes govern that ladies entering the Royal Enclosure must ensure their crown is covered. The official rules state that hats and headpieces must have a base of at least four inches (10cm) or more in diameter, and must be worn at all times.

I do indeed like buying hats - generally they're of a rakish variety: Lock & Co. trilbies, Bates fedoras, vintage tifters, head-coma cashmere beanies from Cos or the Elder Statesman. I even have a quirky peaked fisherman cap for Jean-Paul Goude flair. Yet my hat collection is rather boyish, so what to do when a formal invite insists I tap into my femininity? I personally find the notion of a fascinator the least beguiling of concepts, as popular as they have proved in recent years, and perhaps even a case for the Trade Descriptions Act. Really, what's so fascinating about a powdery pouf of feather?

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But headgear from Jermyn Street or St. James can work for a formal occasion if you choose a pretty palette (men's shops do contain soft shades of rabbit-felt that are as delicate as Fifties couture shades), and in a shape that suits. Tempted as I am to try a grey Saint Laurent Hedi Slimane fedora (complete with a brim as broad as the Benelux), perhaps a more girlish style for Ascot - after all these occasions are a chance to embrace bygone fripperies of organza, feathers and flowers, and dare I say… flounce.

I decide to ask an expert. "Thursday's Ascot is the crescendo of hattiness," exclaims dashing milliner, Piers Atkinson, who is excited to see the results of the past few weeks' hard work and his special commissions at The Races. He encourages a traditional hat for this grand British tradition, but does believe in showcasing smaller headpieces and "cocktail hats" (please note: replace the term fascinator with Atkinson's neat turn of phrase), at garden parties, weddings of course, and evening events. I am intrigued by this notion, as sophisticated dinner hats were a strong fashion note of the late Fifties and a favourite of Dior.

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But keeping in mind the four-inch regulation, a wide-brim is de rigueur. "For someone 'afraid' of being overwhelmed, I'd recommend a pillbox style or a teardrop-shaped beret (quite popular with some of the younger members of the Royal Family). The trim can be quite structural and not feathery or flowery and the overall effect is very neat and dressy," adds Atkinson.

I test-drive a rich chocolate satin headband bestowing a bow by Louis Vuitton for wedding number one with a Christopher Kane bolt dress (another tip: play off the pretty with a tougher frock it will keep androgynous types in their comfort zone). Since hats are now headline news it was a joy to see many a topper in the congregation and not just on the Mother of the Bride. Vogue contributing editor Calgary Avansino wore a mignon vintage black straw hat from Paris with a swishy, retro-inspired print Emilia Wickstead dress - balancing a full skirt with a wider-brim saucer is a good idea.

I also remember DJ Chelsea Leyland's advice when I saw her in a floppy Seventies hat at Coachella: "Hats should never been taken too seriously, when I wear them I always conjure a particular character I want to be. Once you wear it with confidence and feel like you are the character you secretly want to be." Protecting herself from the Palm Springs' rays in glamorous Almost Famous style with a hectic social summer in London, Berlin, Ibiza and New York ahead, there will be a host of new-hatted characters she can play alongside her records. She recommends Marie Mercie for cat-ear hats that are coquettish yet glamorous, and which are also a favourite of the perfectly groomed Charlotte Olympia. Another tip: no one gets tired of animal references or even ears - they are so full of wit and personality, which is exactly what a hat should be.

So to get ahead at Ascot I need a hat with humour and character and I do like the idea of cocktail flavour. My eureka moment comes when I find the Maison Michel lace Virgine hat - a wide-brimmed, floppy trilby in cobwebby lace and delectable grosgrain ribbon. With a swingy white skirt suit I have found my character: Elvira Hancock. It's an all-out winner whatever the weather.

Top image: Emma Elwick-Bates in her Louis Vuitton bow hat, right, with Calgary Avansino, left